15 March 20 - 26, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents A t Hardeman’s, barbecue isn’t just food; it’s a continuation of Black culinary traditions shaped by migration, resil- ience and community. A shopping strip on Scyene Road houses several restaurants anchored by a vibrant daycare center. The words SOUL FOOD stitched into a banner whip in the breeze on a pole in the parking lot. When stepping through the front door, customers are hit with the aroma of barbecue and an air of nostalgia. The buffet line forms an L-shape through the dining room. Steam from trays of cabbage, fried okra, rice and tender smothered pork chops fog the clear plastic sneeze guard above the food. Menu boards list staples of Texas barbecue like brisket, ribs, chicken and bolo, the beloved smoked bologna that has been a fixture in African American kitchens for generations. Above the counter, faded signs list daily specials, including chitlins, a dish now fading from mainstream menus but still holding its place here. The plexiglass shield, perhaps a brief re- minder of the pandemic, separates guests from the food but not from conversation. Customers lean in, chatting with one of the heirs to this barbecue legacy, Sarah Taylor Watson, granddaughter of namesake Ches- terfield Hardeman and daughter of Emma Hardeman. On this sunny Saturday afternoon, she takes a short break between baking desserts to greet long-time customers turned friends. Beside the cash register, a wall of history stands watch over the room. The elder Har- deman, who built this legacy, commands the center, flanked by images of other family pil- lars. To his immediate right, his daughter, Emma, gazes out, her resemblance to her fa- ther unmistakable. The business began in Uptown, long be- fore the area became the trendy Dallas neighborhood it is today with high-rise apartments, first-class restaurants and a so- cial scene catering to the city’s elite. Initially, the area was Freedmantown, built by for- merly enslaved people, a self-sustaining neighborhood filled with Black-owned homes, businesses and restaurants despite segregation, redlining and other restrictive policies. In Freedmantown, Black entrepreneurs opened fried chicken cafes and barbecue joints, two defining culinary staples often grouped under the broad “soul food” um- brella. These restaurants didn’t just serve food; they provided one of the few dining options available to Black residents within their tight-knit enclave. As Chesterfield Hardeman juggled other professions to support his growing family, he unknowingly built a soul food dynasty. Hardeman’s Barbecue, now synonymous with Dallas’ Black barbecue history, started as a roadside stand in the late 1930s. Al- though the living descendants don’t recall exact dates, they agree that his first brick- and-mortar location opened in 1943. By 1947, the Hardeman family operated two barbecue restaurants and a grocery store in Freedmantown, according to the 1947-1948 Dallas Negro Directory. But city planners pushed for “urban re- newal,” a process critics often deride as “Ne- gro removal,” and developers set their sights on Black communities. The construction of Central Expressway (1949) and Woodall Rodgers Freeway (1962) demolished homes and businesses, severing Freedmantown from downtown. In 1968, the Hardeman family moved their barbecue restaurant to West Dallas, joining many other local Black- owned businesses forced to relocate. By the 1970s, what began as a tiny corner spot serving East Texas-style barbecue had grown into a second-generation restaurant, adapting to a rapidly changing city. Harde- man kept the menu simple: chopped beef, ribs and sausage, served with classic sides of beans and potato salad. A Texas Monthly ar- ticle references how Hardeman smoked the fattier navel end of briskets for hours for his signature chopped beef, rendering a tender and flavorful sandwich. According to Sarah, the smoker was in a tiny room, and the fragrant smoke would get so thick that the family joked the patriarch had to stoop just to see his way out. She recalls how all her uncles, George, Moses and Chester Jr., established Harde- man’s locations across North Texas. Unlike other family businesses that sometimes fracture with competition, the Hardeman siblings operated with a spirit of shared suc- cess. “I worked for my mother, but I also worked at my uncle George’s restaurant too in high school. There was never any compe- tition, not even friendly kind, just all love and encouragement for each to be success- ful,” Sarah says. Prices may have varied slightly between locations, but the menu and the heart behind the food remained un- changed. Each location sparks vivid memories for those who visit. In a Facebook post, Anga Sanders, an SMU alum, recalled how she and fellow students would leave campus for a treat at the Hardeman’s near Inwood and Mockingbird. “It was a rare and welcome change from our cafeteria food,” she wrote. In the 1980s, another Hardeman’s loca- tion opened in a converted Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Over time, its bright red trim faded to pink, and the walls, once white but now smoke-tinted, were a testament to years of slow-cooked barbecue. Just behind the counter at the Scyene Road location, a doorway leads to Sarah’s busy kitchen. Willie Owens, a tall, slender gentleman with short braided hair, slices brisket, ribs and bolo with a surgeon’s pre- cision. The pork ribs are the star. These are smoked in a large barrel pit outside while Willie Richardson, the dedicated head pit- master, sits in a black cushioned desk chair that resembles a throne. Inside the spacious kitchen and prep area, Sarah’s desserts are sliced and lined up in tidy rows. Chess pie, pecan pie and layered cakes are all made by Sarah with family recipes passed down from her maternal line. The key to the Hardeman family’s lon- gevity lies in their ability to adapt while preserving tradition. Early menus featured simple offerings like chopped beef, ribs, and sausage, served with classic beans and potato salad. Today, the menu has ex- panded to include soul food staples such as candied yams, collard greens, smothered pork chops, fried fish and neck bones, short-end ribs and other barbecue special- ties. Yet, the menu’s heart remains the same: chopped brisket, the most popular item, served on a bun and plated with sides or piled high on a baked potato. Another evolution? The sauce. The origi- nal Hardeman’s sauce, a closely guarded family recipe, originally had a thinner con- sistency. As customer preferences Nathan Hunsinger | CITY OF ATE | t Dish A Legacy of Smoke, Sauce and Soul Hardeman’s, which started as a roadside barbecue stand in Freedmantown, is built on resilience and a family’s determination to preserve its name. BY DEAH BERRY MITCHELL >> p16 Sarah Taylor Watson, granddaughter of namesake Chesterfield Hardeman and daughter of Emma Hardeman, serves up some barbecue and sides.
